Joining the ranks of the retired
Jan. 13th, 2026 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nosrednaydujUnexpected, fast-track route.
Yesterday my great grandboss sent me a meeting request to "discuss some important business updates".
This is not my first rodeo. So I was not at all surprised when they laid me off in that meeting. I guess the "important business updates" are that they are trashing our entire product. Although they were a little cagey about exactly who was being laid off, giving the excuse that some people hadn't been told yet. I got some text messages from some of my coworkers so I at least know about some of them. I'll wait until tomorrow to ping the others for whom I have phone numbers.
I was also not terribly upset, because I'm pretty close to retirement age, and I'm reasonably well set up financially. They are giving me 18 weeks severance and paying out the full bonus from this past year. So I'd be okay for half a year anyway even if I hadn't been shoveling the max contribution into my 401(k) for the past 15 years.
They started the conversation with "these are difficult conversations to have" and I said "I've been laid off five times before, it's okay." I mean, I'm kind of emotional about it and I'm telling everybody, but generally I'm fine. I mean, in the computer industry, you have to have in the back of your mind, "I could be laid off today". It just fades into the back of your mind like "I could get hit by a truck today". Both things are true; being laid off is a little more likely.
Yesterday my great grandboss sent me a meeting request to "discuss some important business updates".
This is not my first rodeo. So I was not at all surprised when they laid me off in that meeting. I guess the "important business updates" are that they are trashing our entire product. Although they were a little cagey about exactly who was being laid off, giving the excuse that some people hadn't been told yet. I got some text messages from some of my coworkers so I at least know about some of them. I'll wait until tomorrow to ping the others for whom I have phone numbers.
I was also not terribly upset, because I'm pretty close to retirement age, and I'm reasonably well set up financially. They are giving me 18 weeks severance and paying out the full bonus from this past year. So I'd be okay for half a year anyway even if I hadn't been shoveling the max contribution into my 401(k) for the past 15 years.
They started the conversation with "these are difficult conversations to have" and I said "I've been laid off five times before, it's okay." I mean, I'm kind of emotional about it and I'm telling everybody, but generally I'm fine. I mean, in the computer industry, you have to have in the back of your mind, "I could be laid off today". It just fades into the back of your mind like "I could get hit by a truck today". Both things are true; being laid off is a little more likely.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-13 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-24 02:45 am (UTC)When I was laid off at one place, their process included so much time for finding another (non-existent) job at the company, etc., that it pushed me past my year boundary, so I got a bigger severance.
The main issue with retiring is insurance, but at 65 you can do medicare, so that helps a lot.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-24 03:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-24 04:48 am (UTC)Great. I really hate how they don't treat you like a human being or expect that some of their remaining employees might like some closure or at least to be able to say goodbye.
It also strikes me how some companies claim that they are worried about disgruntled former employees. I always think why don't they care about disgruntled current employees?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-27 03:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-27 10:59 pm (UTC)